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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26255284">What Was That For?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellarLibraryLady/pseuds/StellarLibraryLady'>StellarLibraryLady</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek Incandescent Hearts [55]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5 + 1 Things, Attentive Spock, Chocolate, Christmas reference, Clueless McCoy, Comfort Food, Flowers, Fluff and Humor, Food, Gloves, Humor, Language of Flowers, M/M, Pining Spock (Star Trek), Pre-Relationship, Protective Spock (Star Trek), Puzzled McCoy, Snacks &amp; Snack Food, five senses, red carnations</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:33:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,630</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26255284</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellarLibraryLady/pseuds/StellarLibraryLady</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times McCoy does not know why Spock does something. By the sixth time, he's getting it figured out.</p><p>Who knows what the Vulcan is up to now? Dr. McCoy certainly doesn't.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek Incandescent Hearts [55]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/636956</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What Was That For?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>1. The Glove</p><p>Let’s face it. A lot of the time, Leonard McCoy does not know what Spock is up to. Well, if we’re going to be completely honest about the whole matter, MOST of the time Leonard McCoy doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in Spock’s agile mind. The guy must have his brain do mental gymnastics just so it will keep functioning during boring situations, McCoy has decided. Boring times to Spock might be functions such as Federation Command meetings discussing protocol changes in regard to dress uniforms, or a cocktail party that’s real purpose is for the attendees to be seen by the right people higher up on the command chain so that the powers-that-be can access the latest crop of potential bed partners (not really, but sometimes it seems that way).</p><p>Since Spock really isn't into fashion or bed-hopping, moments like those can seem like a serious waste of time for him and can absolutely cause his dark eyes to film over in ennui, especially those wasted moments spent in social situations.  Because all that Spock really sees at a cocktail party are a group of people getting drunker by the minute and showing their teeth to each other.  On an intellectual level, he knows that such displays of the participants' dental attributes is their equivalent of "socializing."  But he is a student of the Natural Sciences as well, and as such he knows that a display of teeth in the animal kingdom is a challenge for open combat.  Then McCoy has to rush forward to save the day (and Spock’s reputation) by covering for him before he wants to know why those people are so openly snarling at each other.</p><p>McCoy knows that Spock is brilliant, but that does not mean that Spock is smart, especially people smart. The only thing that saves him from being a complete computer in that department is his empathy. Well, and his insatiable curiosity. Sometimes he gets almost childlike in his glee of watching humans react to certain situations. McCoy has had to subtly remind him on more than one occasion that humans do not take it kindly to be studied like laboratory animals. This is all news to Spock who is understandably grateful for McCoy’s intervention before he commits some major faux pas that would be looked down upon in polite society.</p><p>All of that must have recently been on Spock’s mind (or maybe Jim Kirk had given him a head’s up, which is something that Kirk has to do occasionally with this pair). Because, one day without preamble, Spock handed something to McCoy as they passed in the hallway.</p><p>“What was that for?” McCoy asked in puzzlement as he studied the dress glove that he now found in his hand.</p><p>“It is for the glove of yours I inadvertently ruined with that chemical I happened to spill on your hand.”</p><p>“But how did you manage to get just one? Generally, gloves come in pairs. It’s almost unheard of to replace only one glove, yet that is how they are lost. Singly and not in pairs.”</p><p>“I managed to get it duplicated,” Spock said with great pride.</p><p>“Oh, well, thank you,” McCoy mumbled as he studied the one glove which had managed to come into his life as a single. Now he had a pair, alright. But one was slightly worn and the other one was brand new. He didn’t know exactly what he was going to do about the situation unless he managed to lose both mismatched gloves and start out with a fresh pair. He just wouldn’t wear a new pair around Spock and a beaker of chemical from now on. That seemed to be an evil threesome that needed to be avoided at all costs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>2. The Swiss Chocolate</p><p> </p><p>“So you’re treating yourself to your favorite Swiss chocolate for Christmas again, are you, Mr. Spock?” McCoy teased with a tolerant grin.</p><p>“More than likely,” Spock answered. He knew that McCoy was teasing, but let him get by with it anyway. McCoy was in a mellow mood, so his teasing was gentle and meant that he did not intend to be insensitive to his friends. It was only when he was sarcastic that Spock was wary of McCoy. For Spock understood as well as Kirk did that McCoy was hurting himself with his sarcasm more than he was trying to injure his victim.</p><p>“Well, that’s one way to do presents so you won’t be disappointed in what you get, wouldn’t you say, Jim?” McCoy continued with the teasing, but turned to Kirk to include him in the jest. “Just buy yourself a Christmas gift, and that way you will get what you really want. No hoping, no guessing, no trying to leave not so subtle clues so the characters with you will finally get the message. I gotta say, that’s pretty smart of you, when I think about it,” he said, turning back to Spock.</p><p>“I am glad that you approve, Doctor.”</p><p>“Just what is so good about that particular chocolate anyway?”</p><p>“Oh, it is so pleasant on the tongue,” Spock immediately supplied. It was plain to see that he had thought long and hard about his opinion and was not giving it lightly. “It is such a delight to all of the senses.”</p><p>“Oh?” McCoy challenged. “You have already mentioned taste. What about the other senses? Sight, for instance?”</p><p>“Just the picture of the dainty, hand-dipped delights arranged neatly in row upon row in their box pleases my ascetics to no end. And then the blending of their subtle, enticing aromas titillates my nose and puts me in a state of mild ecstasy.”</p><p>“Like catnip for a cat," McCoy supplied, alluding to the theory that Vulcans are descended from cats.</p><p>"Why, yes, Doctor."</p><p>"And touch?” McCoy wanted to know, intrigued by Spock’s descriptive powers.</p><p>“The satiny chocolate on my fingertips informs me of the exotic experience that is soon to be enjoyed on the surface of my tongue. And the smear of sugary residue that is left on my skin is always such a delight as I lick my fingers clean. Nothing is as erotic as licking the flesh, Doctor,” Spock said as he stared at McCoy openly.</p><p>McCoy blinked. Where had that come from?! And whatever did it mean?! And why in the hell was the Vulcan staring at him as if he intended to swallow him up?! Or worse, lick him!</p><p>McCoy decided to ignore it until the Vulcan got a grip on himself once more.  After all, Spock was not known to allow himself to be ruled by his emotions or indulge himself in a momentary whim.</p><p>“Okay, now I’ve got you!” McCoy crowed. “What about hearing? How can you hear chocolate?”</p><p>“Why, the delight is in how a gift of it is received. The recipient is always so grateful and is quite effusive with gratitude.”</p><p>“Got you there, Bones,” Kirk said with a grin.</p><p>Nothing more was said of the incident until weeks later when Spock handed McCoy a box which he promptly opened. McCoy’s eyes lit up with delight. Rows upon rows of Spock’s favorite chocolate were inside. Wow!</p><p>“What was that for?”</p><p>“For the delight of seeing you open it, Doctor,” Spock answered smugly and well contended with himself as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>3. The Flower</p><p> </p><p>“That’s quite an honor that the medical team will be receiving, Bones. I am amazed that you thought to share it with individual members of the staff, though.”</p><p>“Why not? It’s more than me in Sickbay treating patients. I can work only one shift out of three during a twenty-four hour period, so there’s all those people who need to be honored, too, not just me and my immediate staff. Nurses, technicians, other doctors, practical nurses who empty bedpans and feed patients, even janitors who clean up after all of us and keep Sickbay from becoming one big cesspool. Why, even Scotty should be included for keeping the ship going. And you, Jim, for directing the whole big she-bang so that we get from Point A to Point B so well and with all of our original parts still intact.”</p><p>Kirk grinned. “If you’re not careful, you will have the whole ship being included in honors because of something that the medical department received and you in particular.”</p><p>“Well, we’re all intertwined, aren’t we?” McCoy asked. “We all support each other. When you think of it, where would the mess hall be without people showing up to eat? Where would Engineering be if the ship was empty? Why take the Enterprise out if there was no crew aboard?”</p><p>“My, you’re getting poetic,” Kirk teased gently with a warm grin.</p><p>“I’m not egotistical enough to think that I’m running this whole show by myself, just as I know you know it takes the full crew to keep this ship on schedule.”</p><p>“It takes a team, Bones, and that’s a fact. So, what is the medical team getting in honor of this occasion?”</p><p>McCoy beamed. “A red carnation. I could think of nothing finer. A red carnation symbolizes love, you know, and I do love each and every one of them.”</p><p>“I didn’t know that's what a red carnation means. I don’t know much about the language of flowers.”</p><p>“Oh, there’s a whole culture of that in the Deep South,” McCoy explained. “It’s not as recognized as it once was, just like Southern Belles don't walk around in hoop skirts and fainting from the vapors anymore. But it's part of our culture.  I know what it all means."</p><p>"It's a wonderful tradition, Bones."</p><p>"Yes, it is."  His eyes grew misty and faraway with a nostalgic vision that only he could see.  "Just think of the picture that will make with everyone wearing a flower.”</p><p>“Even you?” Spock asked. He had been quietly listening all the while until he saw a discrepancy in what McCoy was saying.</p><p>“Me?” McCoy asked with a puzzled face. “I don’t need a flower. I’m the head of the department. My reward will be knowing that I’m running a tight organization. In the meanwhile, I’ll be looking after my people.”</p><p>He should have known that Spock wouldn’t like that scenario, and Spock didn’t.</p><p>Days later, after everyone in the medical department was sporting a red carnation and beaming in pleasure, Spock handed McCoy a box. Inside lay three red carnations.</p><p>“What was that for?” McCoy questioned as he studied the dewy flowers. “Everyone else got only one. Why do I deserve three?”</p><p>“Because you are head of the whole big she-bang!” Spock answered proudly, quoting McCoy himself.</p><p>He did not also mention that three carnations meant triple the love that he was giving to McCoy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>4. The Food</p><p>“You really should have gotten some of this blackberry cobbler, Bones,” Kirk told him in the mess hall as he shoveled the gooey, delicious treat into his waiting mouth. “I think the cooks outdid themselves tonight. Colored meal cubes never tasted this good. I’ll personally plan a revolt myself if Federation Command thinks that we ever have to go back to eating them instead of real food.”</p><p>“Glad you’re enjoying it, Jim. I just missed seeing it when I came through line. Apparently I was blinded by this strawberry rhubarb pie and thought that I had to give it a good home,” McCoy answered happily as he held up his dessert.</p><p>“That looks tasty, too,” Kirk decided. “Think I’ll grab a slice of it on the way out so I can have a night-night snack later on.”</p><p>“Night-night snack,” McCoy noted with a grin. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll grab some cobbler when we leave, too. Spock, are you gonna get anything for yourself for later on, or are you gonna let Jim and me eat alone?”</p><p>“I am perfectly contented with this Bartlett pear, thank you, Doctor.”</p><p>“Suit yourself, but you’re missing out.”</p><p>At that moment, the diners were interrupted by a young intern. “Excuse me, Dr. McCoy, but there is an emergency in sickbay that needs your attention.”</p><p>“Well, that’s me,” McCoy said with a sigh as he jumped to his feet and left.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was sometime later that Dr. McCoy found his way back in his quarters. He was ready to take a shower and go to bed. Then his door chimed.</p><p>“Spock?” he asked with a frown when he saw who it was. “What do you want at this hour? Why aren’t you in bed?”</p><p>“I was meditating and heard that you were back. Here is something for you.”</p><p>“What was that for?” McCoy asked as he turned over in his hands the small Styrofoam box that Spock had presented to him.</p><p>“It is the blackberry cobbler that you forgot to pick up in your haste to get to Sickbay.”</p><p>“Why, that’s very kind… and considerate… of you to remember to do that for me.  Thank you very much.”</p><p>“It is the least I could do, Doctor, seeing as how dedicated you are to your job.”</p><p>“Why, thank you. Could I offer some of the cobbler to you?” he asked, remembering his manners.</p><p>“No, you take it and enjoy it.”</p><p>“Well, thanks again.”</p><p>“No, Doctor, thank you.”</p><p>Spock left McCoy feeling pretty good about himself, and it wasn’t just because of the blackberry cobbler, either. It was nice to be that well thought of by one of his fellow crew members.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>5. The Hand Up</p><p>It was a large landing party that beamed down. Kirk wanted Spock and McCoy with him so he could get their interpretation of what was going on with the natives, and he also wanted several red shirts with them so everyone would be protected.  Scotty didn't really want to be captain of the Enterprise, and he would be if something happened to the other three.</p><p>“Do you not trust the head of state on this planet, Captain?” Spock wanted to know.</p><p>“Do you?” McCoy snapped before Kirk could answer. “The guy looks like he’s measuring us for a casket. Or a stew pot.”</p><p>“I don’t think it’s all that bad, Bones,” Kirk said with a grin. "But we'll be on the alert."</p><p>“Well, I’ll tell him one thing right off,” McCoy muttered. “I’m tough and sinewy and I’d take a lot of stewing. Now, the Vulcan on the other hand would be an excellent choice as the main course for lunch. Because he’s got all of the right spices already built into him. Salty. Spicy. Even peppery, in the right situation, say when he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but goes ahead and talks anyway.”</p><p>“But I am not as peppery as you are, Doctor,” Spock retaliated. “If you are using that as your criteria, then no one is quite as tangy as you are, either. And your salty language is legendary. No, you would be seasoned nicely already for the stew pot.”</p><p>“S-h-h-h! Don’t go broadcasting that around!” McCoy urged. “We don’t want these guys getting any bad ideas about us. I have a feeling that they might eat their meat rare, if they don’t have the time to cook it.” He grimaced. “Or if they don’t TAKE the time to cook it.”</p><p>“Watch it, guys,” Kirk cautioned. “Here they come.”</p><p>Turned out, the chief did have dinner on his mind. But Kirk’s landing party was not to be on the menu. Instead, everyone was invited to a delicious sit-down meal with a wide variety of foodstuffs and even entertainment later of native dancing.</p><p>“I don’t know what kind of animal that was that we ate,” McCoy said later in glutted satisfaction. “But it was downright tasty and went down mighty easy.”</p><p>“Some kind of deer, I think,” Kirk mused. “Or antelope. I kept thinking of something African. How were the vegetables and fruits, Mr. Spock?” he asked, turning to him. "I know they complimented the meat nicely."</p><p>“Excellent, Captain, as you said yourself. I believe that this planet could be colonized quite successfully, because the flora and the fauna of the area could support the settlers quite easily.  And the natives are quite friendly.”</p><p>“Yes, and just look at these sweeping prairies,” Kirk said as he held out a hand for McCoy and Spock to see what he was envisioning. “Great farming could be done here. Reminds me of Iowa or further west out into the Dakotas. And this land seems to have a more plentiful water supply than the Upper Midwest does.  And I bet this soil is as black and fertile as a witch's heart.”</p><p>"The farmer's coming out in him," McCoy remarked wryly to Spock.  "Next, he'll be wanting to plow up something.  And he'll be wanting us to do likewise."</p><p>"Hmm," Spock grunted in agreement, but did not wish to be put on record as being too enthusiastic about any sort of plan of that nature.  While he believed in animal husbandry and the call of the soil, he could not picture any of them as earnest tillers of the soil, even Kirk.  They were meant to plow through the universe, not a piece of ground somewhere.</p><p>They started up a steep incline, and Spock grabbed McCoy’s elbow to help steady him on the treacherous path. Kirk was left to struggle on his own, but made the climb alright.</p><p>“What was that for?” McCoy asked at the top. He might as well have asked why Spock hadn’t helped Kirk instead.</p><p>“Why, you need to keep your hands from being injured so you can operate,” Spock answered smoothly, then he moved ahead.</p><p>“Oh, is that why?” Kirk muttered as he passed McCoy, and McCoy realized that Kirk had a different spin on things.</p><p>And it got McCoy to thinking.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>6. The Kiss</p><p>It had been a beautiful banquet and a lovely reception in the hotel dining room. Then the evening had ended with a dance that had gone on for hours. It was like a fairy tale come true for all of the weary voyagers of the Starship Enterprise. They were long overdue for shore leave and this festive occasion was a wonderful way to kick it up a notch and to arouse the flagging interest of the jaded crew.</p><p>“It was a lovely evening,” McCoy said as he and Spock stopped at McCoy’s door. Spock had asked if he might escort McCoy. It was only logical since they were second and third in command and Kirk had already asked someone else.</p><p>“Sure,” McCoy had answered when Spock had asked him. Then he had smiled. “It’ll throw everyone off if we’re together and getting along. It’ll drive them to drink, or away from it for sure.”</p><p>So they had danced and chatted and eaten and danced some more that evening. And they didn’t know it, but more than one person mentally noted how dashing they looked together. And more than one person spoke of it aloud to others. And more than one person was also envious of the couple and the handsome figure they were cutting. They were handsome and dashing and self-assured. And more than one person envied them, maybe even James T. Kirk for he might've had a chance with either one of them and hadn't taken it.</p><p>But even fairy tale evenings must eventually come to an end, so they finally found themselves at McCoy’s door. Still they were reluctant to part.</p><p>“I want to thank you,” McCoy said softly. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you for asking me.”</p><p>McCoy didn't know it, but his eyes were soft and sparkling as he gazed at Spock.  But Spock knew it.  And certainly noticed it.</p><p>“The pleasure was all mine,” Spock said gallantly. “Thank you for accepting my offer.”</p><p>McCoy turned his head aside. “So it was a semi-date, wasn’t it?”</p><p>“Call it what you wish.”</p><p>“I wish to call it a date. And I was very pleased.” He leaned forward and gently kissed Spock on the lips.</p><p>“What was that for?” Spock asked, awed by what McCoy had just done and unconsciously echoing an expression that McCoy had uttered more than once to him lately.</p><p>“For making it an absolutely perfect evening," McCoy answered. "It wouldn’t have been, you know, if you hadn’t been with me.  I believe that deserved an ample reward... don't you?”  It almost sounded flirty.</p><p>Spock had the grace to blush. “Are you trying to proposition me, Doctor?”</p><p>“Just trying to catch up,” McCoy murmured. “You’ve been courting me for a long time now, haven’t you?”</p><p>“Well, I might have tried to get your attention a time or two,” Spock answered shyly.</p><p>“You’ve got it. Let me show you how much,” McCoy murmured as he caught Spock and pulled him into a longer kiss. Then he played with Spock’s neckline a little, and Spock found that it was very distracting to his concentration. He loved the little flicks of McCoy's fingers on his skin and tried to imagine what it would be like to have those hands on larger areas of his bare flesh. The prospects were enticing!</p><p>“And you have my attention, Doctor. What are you going to do with it?”</p><p>“Let me show you that, too.” McCoy caught Spock’s hand and led him toward his bed. When they got there, McCoy stopped and looked up into Spock’s dark eyes. “It is time I gave something to you.”</p><p>“But, Doctor, you have given me so much already, just by allowing me to be around you.”</p><p>“You ain’t seen nothing yet, Vulcan,” McCoy lisped as he zeroed in on Spock for another probing kiss that Spock could not break.</p><p>As if he would try doing anything silly like that by this point!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I own nothing of Star Trek, its characters, and/or its storylines.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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